ain hung – (which means “hero” in Vietnamese) – a title awarded to anyone submitting an article on Black Martial Arts.

Black people – persons of African or Melanesian origin as well as their descendants in the Diaspora. Since we consider BLACK to be a condition rather than a COLOR, this definition also includes all indigenous peoples (and their descendants) whose place of origin lies between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Black languages – languages spoken by Black peoples of Africa, Melanesia, or the Diaspora.

Black arts – anything of intrinsic value created by Black people including art, handicraft, dance and musical creations, songs, poetry, literature, drama, architecture, cuisine, inventions, etc.

Black culture – refers to the civilization of Black peoples of the world in its broadest sense including their philosophy, religion, legends, sociology, science, geography, history, celebrations, festivals, rites of passage, etc.

Blacfellow – any recipient of a BLAC recognition, grant or honor. Blacfellows are ranked as follows: 1) blacfellow aspirant (anyone submitting a viable sound proposal to the Foundation); 2) blacfellow (any recipient of BLAC Foundation financial assistance); 3) honorary blacfellow (title granted to a scholar who makes a significant contribution to the goals of the foundation, but who has received no Foundation grant); 4) junior blacfellow (title awarded upon completion and publication of a project for which a grant has been made); 5) senior blacfellow (title granted to an individual who has made a superior and sustained contribution towards the realization of the goals of the foundation); and 6) venerable blacfellow (awarded to a Black person who has dedicated his/her life to the goals of the foundation and has produced numerous substantial studies of Black Folks.

Black Perspective – a black viewpoint. This entails the interpretation or study of a people or related phenomenon from the viewpoint of those studied (here Black people) rather than from a Eurocentric perspective or that of a given academic discipline.

Grants – given for both travel and library research. Recipient must submit a proposal describing his/her project goals. Upon completion of said project, the recipient must submit an acceptable written account detailing the results of his/her research within one year of the completion of the grant period. The Recipient must also permit the Foundation to publish his/her account or use material from it for Foundation publications.

Qualifications – because of the nature of the goals of the Foundation, most qualified Blacks will have a competitive advantage over other similarly qualified applicants. However, applications from persons of any ethnicity with outstanding qualifications are welcome. Special consideration is given to the nature of the goals of the project as well as the candidate’s likelihood of completing the written account within the prescribed period of time.

Fund Raising – It is envisaged that the operation costs of the Foundation will be funded by the sale of products contracted out by the Foundation (e.g. black books, black games, black apparel, Foundation journals, etc.). Outside contributions, however, are sought and accepted from donors for specific blacfellow grant awards. Among current Foundation fund-raising ideas is a BLAC Foundation Quarterly Thematic Publication comprised of articles on a given theme (e.g. Black Religion, Black Cuisine, Black Martial Arts, Black Divination Systems, etc.) submitted by Black Scholars from around the world.

Administration – The BLAC Foundation will be administered by the founding president(s) and three individuals appointed by him/her/them to fill the roles of treasurer, secretary, and chief executive office. These appointments will be subject to the approval of a Board of Directors consisting of at least 3 individuals with expertise in areas relevant to the Foundation’s goals and aims (e.g. language, art, culture, publications, law, etc.). Depending upon need, the number of Board members and/or unpaid staff positions can be increased, but not diminished in number.

Responsibilities – Among the responsibilities of the Founding President(s) are: the firm establishment of the Foundation; the formulation of the ideology of the Foundation; and the prevention of any and all deviation from it stated aims and goals. A Founding President must make a financial contribution of at least $1,000.00 to help get the Foundation off the ground. The role of a Board Member is to make his or her expertise available to the Foundation (free of charge), to sanction proposed expenditures, and to guarantee that grant money is expended solely for the purpose it was given. The role of the Secretary is to handle all Foundation correspondence and type materials for publications; the role of the treasurer is to keep track of all moneys received by the foundation from internal or external sources; and the role of the Chief Executive Officer is to develop and implement new projects and maintain old ones.